Transillumination entails shining of a light through a body cavity or organ for diagnostic purposes. Typically, transillumination is performed in a room where the lights have been dimmed or turned off to facilitate the viewing of the part being studied. A bright light is pointed at the cavity or organ and due to the slight translucence of the part under consideration, some of the light passes through the part or organ. This test is often performed on newborns or infants with hydrocephalus or males suspected of having hydrocele. In addition, transillumination is used for tests performed on breast tissue to detect lesions and/or cysts. In newborns, the test is used to transilluminate the chest cavity if pneumothorax is suspected. Only in newborns is transillumination of the chest possible. Transillumination is painless and quickly performed with inexpensive equipment.
Transilluminators use color to facilitate the viewing of the tissue organ under study. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,743 issued to Stoller discloses a transillumination device using red light. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,917 issued to Doiron et al discloses that red light is particularly useful for performing transillumination of tissue for diagnostic purposes. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,698 issued to Mullani relates to transillumination having an orange color light. These devices use colored light at a specified wavelength to illuminate veins that are positioned below a skin surface. Typically, the vein transilluminator uses a side-transillumination method where light shines into the skin from the top and at an angle to the skin so that the light is focused approximately 2 to 4 cm below the skin. The annulus of focused light behaves like a virtual light source under the skin and transilluminates an area of the skin inside the circle of light.
When it is the desire of the user to examine the surface of the skin, a separate device that uses white light of a particular wavelength is utilized. In order to do an exam of the skin of a patient, a separate white light source is used to shine light on the patient thus requiring two devices, one for transillumination the vein and a second for examination of the patient.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device that combines two separate distinct functions, namely, a vein transillumination light device and a white examination light device, thus eliminating the need to have two separate light sources.
It is another object of the invention to provide a simplified illumination device that can easily switch between two devices.
It is another object of the invention to have an illumination device with colored lights for transillumination of superficial veins and deeper veins and white light LEDs for illumination of the skin of the patient.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the disclosure of the invention.